Particulate Matter (PM 10) is that suspended particle that is about 10 µm in diameter and mainly arises from the poor quality roads, construction sites, and farms and is responsible for causing irritation in eyes, nose, and acute respiratory infections. A variety of respiratory and other diseases, which can also be fatal, are caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution. Air pollution is a complex mixture of thousands of components, majority of which include airborne Particulate Matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants like ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), volatile organic compounds (like benzene), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), etc. Common sources of air pollution are household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities, and forest fires.
World Health Organization (WHO) defines air pollution as contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
This makes the valley particularly vulnerable to air pollution. Due to this, the valley has a unique bowl-shaped topographic structure which restricts the movement of wind thereby retaining the pollutants in the air.
The valley is surrounded by high mountains ranging from 2000 to 2800 metres from sea level. Such a high population in the valley is due to its being the capital city and people from all over the country throng to the city in pursuit of better life and opportunities. Kathmandu has a population density of 13,225 per km 2 as of data recorded by Central Bureau of Statistics in 2011, with population growth rate of 4.78%. The pristine blue hills and the crisp blue sky that covered the valley just about two decades ago now appear gray and hazy due to the stagnant smog that hovers over them. The city of temples is now clad in dust and smoke. Kathmandu Valley, well known as city of temples, has now transformed itself into city of pollution. The knowledge about the invisible killer’s role in causing acute and chronic diseases may help in finding out the answer of the question regarding its effect and prevention. We reviewed the literatures that were published in PMC, MEDLINE, life science journals, and organization official websites and finally came up with the findings and their interpretation that reveal the current scenario in the context of Kathmandu’s air quality status and its impact on human health. This review is an attempt to summarize the updated knowledge on the threat of air pollution on public health and discuss the sources of air pollutants in Kathmandu. Short term exposures also invite respiratory diseases and allergy. Chronic exposure of deteriorated air increases the chance of Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) like lung disease, heart disease, and cancers. As a result, these sorts of human activities have been responsible for increasing air pollution in an enormous rate inside Kathmandu Valley. Nepal, especially Kathmandu, in the current situation, is observing rapid urbanization and various infrastructure development projects. It has a negative impact on various environmental aspects which directly or indirectly affect the quality of human health. Air pollution has been a major problem of 21st century for both developed and developing world.
0 kommentar(er)
